Correct infant positioning is an important adjunct to the care of a premature infant. Although supporting and positioning the infant is recognized as a high priority, health care professionals have mostly used found objects to do the job, such as blankets, pillows, towels. Many positioning aids have been developed, but they have been primarily aimed at restraining movement in two-dimensions, helping to keep the baby from twisting or rolling around on the bed, for example. A simpler approach is the use of pillows or other objects to elevate the head. To accommodate wires and tubes, these devices can be deformed or the user can place several devices around the baby with spaces between them. Unfortunately, when the infant requires respiratory support this big, soft mass of positioning devices gets in the way of the tubing. Another approach, involving the use of small, spaced devices, reduces stability and complicates readjustment. Finally these materials often lose their shape over time, thereby requiring constant monitoring and adjustment.
There are a number of problems with these methods. First, they tend to use solid blocks, rolls, etc. that do not naturally accommodate tubing and wires. This makes it more difficult to attach tubing and wires to the baby without potentially injuring him/her by pushing, pulling, lifting or twisting. Second, they are not adapted to hold the baby above the surface of the bed which would provide a space between the baby and the bed through which wires could be extended; nor does it permit placing the baby at a specific, beneficial position in three dimensions and holding him/her there securely.
In addition, although it is known that a premature infant may be sensitive to the exact position into which he/she is placed, currently available infant support devices do not permit quick and accurate readjustment of infant position. As a consequence, valuable neonatal intensive care unit staff time may be spent readjusting pillows. At the same time, the needs of the infant are ill met, as a position adjustment takes longer and is made less precisely than would be desirable if possible.